


Fire and Flames

by cedalodon



Series: The Hunter and the Hunted [10]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Blood and Violence, F/F, F/M, Monsters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:07:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28153608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cedalodon/pseuds/cedalodon
Summary: The next piece of hunter where Adrien and Marinette join hands with two other hunters to battle this evil.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois/Kagami Tsurugi
Series: The Hunter and the Hunted [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023354
Comments: 13
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So a little heads up, I'm not fully done with this one so Updates may not be come daily.

**Fire and Flames**

“Sometimes, when more than a few hunters are needed, the Guild will send a distress call to other guild offices, which usually send reinforcements right away. This way there should not be any monsters or other threats that go undefeated. Humans have to stick together in times like these.”

“And that’s why we’re here,” Marinette finished her explanation as she gestured toward the port as their ship began to dock. The sailors' shouts filled the air as they prepared to bring the ship to a halt.

“That does not explain why we are here,” Adrien argued as he came to stand beside Marinette, leaning against the ship's wooden railing. “There are many capable hunters in London, I don’t see why they called for us specifically.”

“Neither do I,” Marinette admitted, “but Guildmaster Fu requested us personally.” 

This still didn’t explain anything. They were both on edge from being called away from home in order to fight some mysterious monster that appeared in a different country. 

But they just couldn’t have dismissed a request by the Guildmaster himself. That was something good hunters wouldn’t do, as Alya had told them about a hundred times.

Alya was happy for them; they were ‘moving up in the world’ as she put it.

Marinette had refrained from pointing out that they were moving so fast and so suddenly that they may as well be flying, and she didn’t know when they would fall.

It was suspicious at best.

“You’re never dragging me on another boat again,” Adrien proclaimed with a sigh as his feet finally touched solid ground after days of walking on shaky wood.

“What? I thought you liked the sea. You were bent over the side of the ship almost the entire journey, just staring at the water,” Marinette teased.

“I was sick and you know it,” Adrien replied.

Of course she knew, she had been there for him all the way.

They remained in silence as they made their way deeper into the haven city. The smell of fish lingered wherever they went, and Adrien loved it.

Adrien disappeared for a moment and Marinette was almost getting worried before he appeared from behind her, a freshly fried fish on a stick in his hand.

Marinette, though, had eaten enough of the stuff over the last few weeks to last her a lifetime, but Adrien continued to happily munch on his little snack.

Marinette collected something to eat for herself and a few other rations. They won’t stay in this town for long, taking the carriage to their destination as soon as they had everything they needed. 

The guild had even provided them with an escort, a man named Gorilla, who, as it turned out, was an intimidating character. 

That was really all that could be said about him at first sight as he greeted them with a curt nod.

“Adrien and Marinette I presume?” he grunted. 

“Yes..?” Marinettte replied, the unease clear in her voice. 

Gorilla nodded as he opened the door to the carriage he had been leaning on. “Please get in.”

They settled down and got as comfortable as they could in a carriage. 

This summed up their first impression of England, fish, grumpy old men, and yet another carriage ride.


	2. Stinging Flames

**Stinging Flames**

  
  
  


Kagami awoke to a comfortable warmth.

The sun shone through the window in their bedroom, spreading its heat throughout their house. 

She knew she had to leave her bed soon, but she didn’t want to rise from her lair just yet. Besides, Chloe was here too, and if she moved now Chloe would definitely wake up.

Her hand settled lightly on Chloe’s head, combing through her partner’s golden hair absentmindedly before she delicately poked the blonde's bare back.

Kagami smiled as Chloe mumbled something incomprehensible. Cute.

“Chloe,” Kagami whispered in her ear, “Chloe, we have to get up.”

“Don’t wanna,” Chloe grumbled. That earned her another, harder, poke in the back, but Chloe just ignored her.

It would appear Kagami had to be more persuasive. 

Slowly, her hand wandered from Chloe’s back over to her chest, slowly teasing her nipple but never getting close enough for Chloe to feel any intense pleasure.

The blond's breath hitched as Kagami’s hands traveled further downwards, from her chest, over her stomach, and all the way down between her legs.

Kagami’s other hand went around Chloe’s shoulder before she pulled the other girl close, her own chest pressed tightly against Chloe’s back.

“We’ll be late,” she whispered in Chloe’s ear.

“Yeah,” Chloe chuckled, “that we will.”

  
  


\------

  
  


“They’re late,” Marinette pointed out dryly as they sat in the waiting area of the Guild Office.

“Well, they’re later than us. We didn’t exactly arrive on time either,” Adrien felt the need to correct her.

Marinette chuckled, “fair enough. But I don’t regret it, do you?”

“Cuddling with my girlfriend? Never.” Adrien’s laugh made Marinette feel warm and tingly inside, even after they had been together for months.

Adrien’s eyes caught Marinette’s from where he sat.

He found Marinette’s blue eyes mesmerising; he couldn’t ever resist her charm.

Adrien began to lean in, and so did Marinette.

“Sorry we’re late,” a voice interrupted before a woman fell onto the bench beside them with a sigh as she caught her breath.

The two hunters gasped as they jumped apart before their eyes fell onto the newcomer. The woman was glad entirely in yellow tinted armour that had black stripes across her chest and stomach. On the wall beside her leaned a long spear with the same colour pattern, and she reminded them of an oversized bee.

“I apologise for my partner’s lack of manners,” another voice interrupted their staring, drawing their eyes to the woman who was standing before them. She wore armour made entirely out of red scales, undoubtedly collected from a hunt. On her hip, she wore a sword that looked to be made from a tooth.

One enormous tooth. 

Adrien’s eyes moved from the bee warrior to the red figure that stood before them

“Stinging Flames?” he guessed.

“That’s us,” the woman sitting beside Adrien extended a hand. “My Name is Chloe.”

“I’m Adrien,” he greeted shaking her hand. 

“And I’m Marinette,” the woman addressed the pair, her hand reaching past Adrien to shake Chloe’s.

“Kagami,” spoke the red scaled woman curtly with a small bow. “A pleasure to meet you.”

A silence followed that was soon broken as Kagami started heading towards the exit. “Let’s get going. We will have time to chat later; we are already behind schedule.”

They made their way outside where Gorilla was waiting. 

Marinette and Adrien groaned at the sight of the carriage.

“So, what magic do you guys have?” Chloe asked as the carriage set forward, moving past the many houses that lined the streets. “I’m an insect type myself.”

“So am I,” Marinette smiled, “though, I’m not that great with magic. Adrien is a wonderful beast magician though.”

That got the other girls' attention.

“What does a beast magician even do?” Chloe asked with some scepticism. She didn’t want to work with some useless hunter that she would had to watch out for.

“Sharpen my senses mostly,” Adrien replied, “I can see, hear and smell better than most humans.”

“That’s useful,” Kagami commented. “I imagine you have little problem with tracking.”

“Yeah,” Adrien confirmed, “what about you?”

“Fire magic.”

They continued on with idle chatter as the carriage left the city passing by fields and through forests. Soon, their chatter gave way to a comfortable silence. 

Their ride went on for hours before they came to a halt. Gorilla made dinner before he kept watch over his charges as they set up camp for the night. 

Adrien had offered to help,but the man had refused on the grounds that this was his job.

“We have to set down some rules,” Kagami announced over the soup Gorilla had made. 

“What do you mean?” Marinette questioned. 

“Well,” Kagami began, “we have never worked together before, so it would only make sense that we set up some boundaries. For example,” Kagami stared at Adrien and Marinette with a serious expression, “no kissing or other displays of affection for the duration of the mission. It may seem harsh but none of us can be distracted in the slightest.”

Marinette and Adrien were both quite red on the cheeks by now. 

Neither of them saw Chloe’s small pout. 

And so, they travelled another week, riding the carriage through the day and sleeping under the stars through the night. Their journey was interrupted only once by a bandit ambush.

Gorilla had calmly informed them of the ambush and asked them to please stay inside, as they would continue on in a minute.

True to his word, after a minute of screams and the clattering of steel they continued on past the dozen beat up bandits that now littered the ground.

They reached their destination without further delay and were all relieved to leave the carriage for good.

“We will stay at the local inn,” Gorilla announced, “the guild is providing us with the necessary funding.”

“I say we spend the rest of the day preparing, talking to the villagers, buying any supplies we may need and resting before we head out tomorrow,” Kagami suggested.

“Sounds like a plan,” Marinette agreed, “do we split up?”

“Sure,” Chloe interjected as she wrapped her arm around Kagami. “Allons y!” 

They left the two behind with hanging jaws at Chloe’s perfect french. 

Kagami couldn’t help but grin at the spring in Chloe’s step.


	3. Mount Lafaiere

**Mount Lafaiere**

  
  
  


It was a dangerous world they lived in. 

Monsters scoured the lands, hunting human and beast alike. Hunting what they could indiscriminately.

Of course, monsters weren’t the only dangerous thing in this world. War, bandits and natural disasters caused just as much death and destruction. 

Mount Lafaiere was one such ancient disaster. 

It was an inactive volcano, surrounded by forests filled with monsters and wildlife. 

But now Lafaiere forest was famous for the sheer amount of monsters it housed, it was a place most people avoided. Only hunters of the highest caliber were brave enough to enter what was essentially a death trap. 

And yet here they were, about to enter that exact forest. 

Marinette gulped as she eyed the wall of trees that stood high before her in all of their natural glory. “Isn’t this a bad idea?” she questioned her companions. “That place is supposed to be full of monsters.”

“That’s exactly why we are here,” Kagami explained. “It is supposed to be full of monsters, didn’t you read the report?”

Marinette scoffed.

“We didn’t get a report,” Adrien clarified, “they were too busy pushing us on the next ship to explain anything.”

Kagami sighed, of course they hadn’t been briefed. 

“Well, to keep it short, the monsters disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Chloe asked in disbelief. 

Kagami turned to her companion with a frown, “you got the report.”

“I figured you would read it,” Chloe countered with a smirk. 

Kagami sighed. Why was she even surprised?

“A few weeks ago, a couple of hunters entered the forest. They were trying to hunt but returned with the news that there were no monsters to be found inside the forest.”

“How can that be?” Adrien asked. “The rumours about this place are so bad, I’m surprised nothing has jumped us yet.”

“That’s what we are here to find out.” Kagami explained. “Something must have caused the monsters' disappearance, and we have to make sure whatever it is does not pose a danger to humans.”

A round of nods from her companions assured her that they all understood.

“Shall we head in then?” Adrien asked as he rested his hand at the handle of his sword, ready to unsheath it at any moment. 

“Not yet,” Kagami replied as she turned towards Marinette. “I have been meaning to ask,” she addressed the woman as she pointed at her belt, “what are those for?”

Everyone’s gaze fell to Marinette’s belt. The girl in question grabbed a small metal canister.

“This? It’s a fire bomb. It explodes, spreads fire, and has saved our asses more than once.”

“Terrible idea in a forest,” Kagami pointed out, “but that’s not what I’m referring to. Why are you wearing four swords on your belt?”

The air grew heavy with tension as Adrien glanced at Marinette. Chloe and Kagami were both staring at the huntress, waiting for an explanation. 

Marinette’s cheeks started to turn a little red as all eyes were on her. 

“I, I tend to drop my sword sometimes, so I bring along an extra,” she stuttered slightly.

They didn’t know Marinette and probably have assumed that she was nervous about admitting such a fatal weakness. But Adrien knew her better; he knew Marinette wasn’t red from shame of having such a flaw, but instead she was ashamed of lying. 

She hated lying.

He was not about to point that out, though, seeing as he knew just why she lied.

The others seemed to believe her without question,Kagami frowning as Chloe did her best to subdue her giggles.

Adrien sighed in relief, though he tensed again when Kagami spoke her next words.

“Fight me.”

“I’m sorry?!” Marinette gasped in shock.

“I said fight me, I need to know that I can trust you to have my back when we go in there.”

“I don’t think we-”

But Marinette was silenced as the tip of Kagami’s sword appeared right in front of her face. 

Her eyes met Kagami’s stubborn gaze.

“Fight. Me.”


	4. Clash

**Clash**

“She’s not gonna drop it you know,” Chloe called over from the log on which she had taken a seat, preparing to view the match.

Kagami affirmed this with a nod. 

Resolve settled on Marinette’s features as she drew two of her swords and stepped back. 

Adrien found himself standing awkwardly between the two, earning himself two sets of glares. He retreated to sit beside Chloe as quickly as he could. He did not want to get caught up in this storm.

And a storm it was. 

Kagami charged at Marinette, her sword thrusting at her opponents chest. Marinette used one of her swords to expertly block the attack as she sidestepped and swung her other at Kagami’s shoulder.

Kagami dodged the swing and slammed her shoulder into Marinette’s chest without hesitation, making Marinette lose her footing for a moment. 

Kagami stepped forward to take advantage of the situation, but had to jump to the side to avoid the sword that Marinette had thrown at her. 

The sword swished past Kagami’s face by a mere inch, and before she could regain her bearing, Marinette was on her, a whirlwind of precise strikes that Kagami was barely able to block. 

Kagami had to win ground, or she would lose her balance entirely. That would be her undoing.

For a moment, time stopped as Kagami’s eyes met Marinette’s. A shiver ran down Kagami’s spine as she saw the fire in her opponent’s eyes. 

“Dragon’s wrath!”

Marinette had to halt her assault to avoid the raging flames that engulfed her opponent. 

“So we’re using magic now?” She gasped.

“You’re welcome to show me yours as well,” Kagami challenged with a smirk.

Marinette grinned, “acid edge.”

Green magic covered Marinette’s swords and dripped down from the tip, sizzling as it hit the ground. 

The two swordwomen charged each other, metal clinging against monster tooth in a storm of red hot fire and splaying acid. 

“Should we stop them?” Adrien asked Chloe hesitantly as he watched his partner get kicked in the stomach.

“Not yet,” Chloe replied with determination. “Kagami needs to do this. If our teammates are weak, they or all of us could die, and Kagami won’t take that risk”

Adrien understood, but Chloe seemed a little too comfortable with this arrangement. She knew Kagami could hold herself back, both girls tried not to hurt the other. 

Adrien’s gaze returned to the fight that was unfolding before them. Marinette had just gained the upper hand back by shooting brown acid in Kagami’s face momentarily blinding her. 

Kagami had to admit, Marinette was not someone to be messed with lightly. 

Her form was well practised and trained into her muscles, and her swings taken with precise measure and calculated strength. She was almost perfect.

Almost.

Kagami herself had years of experience with the sword, trained into her body through sweat and hard work, oftentimes even beaten into her by her mother.

A battle was a matter of life and death; there were no second chances and no redos. You had to go for the kill.

So when she saw an opening, she didn’t hesitate.

Sparks flew before Marinette’s eyes as the hilt of Kagami’s sword hit her forehead after Kagami closed the distance between them until neither had space to swing their swords.

Kagami pulled her free arm back, ready to punch. 

Chloe stood up.

Kagami’s fist flew towards Marinette’s jaw, the woman dropping her swords, raising her hands to block the punch.

Too slow, she realised as Kagami’s fist closed in on her.

“Sting!”

Yellow magic shot forth from Chloe’s raised hand and enveloped Marinette and Kagami from head to toe. 

Kagami halted, as did Marinette, neither being able to move a muscle.

“I think,” Chloe began, “that the sparring is over.” Her voice had a finality to it that allowed no argument.

The yellow magic dissolved and Kagami made sure to extinguish her flames right away before she walked over to Marinette who was picking up her swords.

Marinette looked up to see Kagami bow deeply at the hip before bringing herself to her full height again, towering over Marinette. 

“I apologise. I seem to have lost control for a moment.”

“It’s fine,” Marinette replied with a smile. “It did kind of get heated back there.”

Adrien burst into laughter. 

Two sets of confused eyes settled on him as his cheeks turned red.

People these days just don’t appreciate a good sense of humor. 

**Author's Note:**

> A massive thank you to Elsie_Noir for Beta reading. I couldn't pull this off without you.


End file.
